Owning a Pedigree Dog

An accurate pedigree is essential for a dog breeder.

To many people, a dog's pedigree is simply a piece of paper. They take it home when they buy their dog, put it in a safe place for storage somewhere, and forget about it. If you are a breeder, however, it is an extremely important document. Remember that a dog is only as good as its pedigree and, no matter how wonderful and handsome the dog is to look at, if it has a poor ancestry line in the blood, this will directly affect the quality of the dog’s stock issue. Conversely, no pedigree is worth more than the dog it refers to. You might even have a pedigree in your possession with a line full of champions, all the best in breed. It will mean nothing if your dog is a poor specimen. The idea is to own a good looking dog with a good looking pedigree. If you have such a dog or bitch, you stand an excellent chance of producing good puppies.

Here is what a dog's pedigree certificate may look like.

It is important to study and understand your bitch's pedigree. What does her past look like? Do her ancestors boast the prestige of a great strain or are they mediocre in form and lacking note? Try to obtain the help of a person well steeped in dog lore and modern breed history. He or she should know the dogs of the past twenty years and will probably have judged some of them or at least have watched them being judged. He or she is sure to remember their stamp, their careers, their colors, size, and reputations. He will also remember any faults. It is odd how experts, even the unbiased ones, recall faults more easily than the good points. But you will want to know both, and you must press for information on the dogs whose names appear on the piece of paper in front of you. If one person cannot supply enough information about your dog or bitch, ask others, but refer only to people with good reputations which are authentic, not mere guesswork or hearsay.

Pedigree Papillons

Draft out your dog pedigree on a large piece of paper, and beneath the name of every dog and bitch ancestor, write in its own square the data you have obtained from your research. Try to get details on every dog or bitch in the line, even if this entails writing to people long since out of the breed. You will often find someone in their family who recalls the dog that their sister, brother, or father owned and can tell you something useful about it. Do not forget to enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope, as this will significantly increase your chance for a response. From the facts you accumulate you should be able to form a perfect word picture of the ancestral qualities and faults behind your bitch, probably sufficient to ensure that when you come to select a stud dog for her, you will at least be ready with the knowledge to avoid any duplication of her faults capable of being passed on in double measure to her progeny.

It may be work tracking down all the information needed for a complete and accurate pedigree, but it will pay off for your pedigree dog.

Pedigrees usually are pretty accurate these days. In the very old days of all breeds of animals, and dogs were no exception, records of a dog's breeding were kept very casually, to say the least. In certain cases, information was jealously guarded by both owners and breeders, especially if the specimens involved were good ones. The pedigree was then thought of as a 'secret formula' which provided a good specimen. Now, a pedigree is what we know it to be; a breeding record used freely in an effort to improve subsequent generations of the breed.

Knowing your dog’s pedigree in detail can be very useful to a breeder, or a dog enthusiast. Having a dog of good pedigree is a great thing. We suggest checking out Secrets to Dog Training to really get your dog behaving as you expect. This is the best dog training guide available, and has many tips for dog owners. If you are ready for a healthy and well trained dog, check it out. We highly recommend it.